Seattle Mariners: 3 Reasons Why Evan White’s Rookie Season was a Fluke

Reason No. 3 – Evan White was an excellent situational hitter in 2020 for the Seattle Mariners

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Another very encouraging sign from Evan White’s abbreviated rookie season was without a doubt his ability to hit with runners in scoring position. Thanks to the pandemic his sample size is not big, but in 47 plate appearances with runners in scoring position, he hit .310 and had 22 RBI’s with a phenomenal 1.028 OPS.

White’s SLG of .667 with RISP checks into the top-15 in all of baseball in 2020. His OPS also ranked 22nd in baseball with RISP. Evan White’s isolated power with RISP also resided in the top-15 for 2020, at number 14. He ranked inside the top-15 in AB-per-HR ratio as well, going deep once every 10.5 at-bats.

It is very encouraging to see someone have that much success with runners in scoring position, especially a player who struggled as much as Evan White did in 2020. It shows that even through the growing pains, White was able to thrive as a situational hitter.

On paper, Evan White’s 2020 season is not going to wow you. It may not even excite you. But there are more than enough reasons to show that his rookie year was a fluke and that a breakout season could be coming from the Seattle Mariners’ young first basemen in 2021.